NID services should stay under EC: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Thursday said they would strongly urge the government to keep the national identity (NID) services under the Election Commission's (EC) control, report agencies.

"We will strongly voice our opinions in the law-making process. Wherever opinions are needed, we will give (opinions). Our entire commission wants this," he said.

The CEC made the comments while talking to reporters following a sit-in programme of the EC employees and officials in front of his office room at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital.

The EC employees were protesting a fresh move initiated by the current government to enact a law for bringing a number of civic services, including birth registration and national identity registration services, under a single entity named the 'Civil Registration Commission'.

They also gave a seven-day ultimatum to go on fresh programme unless any visible step is taken regarding the issue by March 12.

Nasir Uddin said he did not hear that the government had already finalised its decision to remove the NID operation from the EC.

Earlier, a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee was held in the Cabinet Division on Monday to review the draft of the 'Civil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025'. A representative from the EC Secretariat was also present at the additional secretary-level meeting.

The CEC said he heard that the government perhaps was thinking to provide all kinds of services from one place, but the NID services would remain under the jurisdiction of the EC.

Nasir Uddin said NID is a byproduct of voter registration operation and the EC officials have worked hard for 17 years, developing the NID network across the country.

"The government will definitely take all the issues into consideration. There may be a gap in information. After receiving the written opinion of the commission, this gap will definitely not be there."

The CEC, however, said: "I am not the ultimate decision maker. I represent the EC…I can speak on behalf of the EC. I can create a position before the government....we are a constitutional body. If the government makes a law, we have to obey the law. But we will urgently raise our opinion in the law-making process."